Table Mountain may be one of the 7 New Wonders of the World, but it's certainly not all that's impressive about Cape Town, South Africa. When you visit the Mother City, what are some cool things to do there?
1. First (obviously!), is take a trip by cable car up the famous Table Mountain. Check on the web site http://tablemountain.net first to see if the cable car is running or not – depending on the weather. Get a bird's eye view of Cape Town from the cable car and Upper Cable Station. You can book tickets online or, if you take your ID along on your birthday, they’ll let you travel free. Follow the signs from Kloof Nek Road to the Lower Cable Station.
2. Wake up on Table Mountain: do the Hoerikwaggo Trail, a 5-day, 4-night trail through this world heritage site. Hike over peaks, through forests and across beaches, marvel at the rich fynbos plant life, keep a lookout for whales, and sleep in the old Platteklip Wash House on Table Mountain or in tented camps along the way.
3. Visit Robben Island and World Heritage Site in Table Bay. Once a leper colony, this is where ex-political prisoner and former President Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for many years. The prison became an icon of apartheid oppression and it is now a museum. Tour guides include ex-prisoners, who tell what it was like to be confined on this ‘island of the damned’. Tours depart 4 times a day (weather permitting) from Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront.
4. Delve into the past at the Iziko South African Museum in Queen Victoria Street. This natural history museum bristles with artefacts from the early Iron Age and is a must for folks obsessed with dinosaurs and fossils. Then pop into the planetarium next door for some star-gazing. A projected show on the domed ceiling will make you remember what a fascinating universe we live in.
5. Visit the Bo-Kaap Museum in Wale Street for a peek into the life of the Cape’s Muslim community. This 18th-century home is the oldest in the area.
6. Do a township tour with a recognised tour operator, interacting with locals using universal themes such as food, music, arts and crafts. Visit a shebeen to taste traditional beer, chat with the residents and stuff yourself with a typical African dinner.
7. Go whale-watching at False Bay from June to November and learn about the marine life of these whales, dolphins, sharks and seals. There are some posters at a great lookout on Boyes Drive, between Lakeside and Kalk Bay on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula. Other good places include Clovelly Corner and Jagger's Walk or Sunny Cove, all in Fish Hoek.
3. Visit Robben Island and World Heritage Site in Table Bay. Once a leper colony, this is where ex-political prisoner and former President Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for many years. The prison became an icon of apartheid oppression and it is now a museum. Tour guides include ex-prisoners, who tell what it was like to be confined on this ‘island of the damned’. Tours depart 4 times a day (weather permitting) from Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront.
4. Delve into the past at the Iziko South African Museum in Queen Victoria Street. This natural history museum bristles with artefacts from the early Iron Age and is a must for folks obsessed with dinosaurs and fossils. Then pop into the planetarium next door for some star-gazing. A projected show on the domed ceiling will make you remember what a fascinating universe we live in.
5. Visit the Bo-Kaap Museum in Wale Street for a peek into the life of the Cape’s Muslim community. This 18th-century home is the oldest in the area.
6. Do a township tour with a recognised tour operator, interacting with locals using universal themes such as food, music, arts and crafts. Visit a shebeen to taste traditional beer, chat with the residents and stuff yourself with a typical African dinner.
7. Go whale-watching at False Bay from June to November and learn about the marine life of these whales, dolphins, sharks and seals. There are some posters at a great lookout on Boyes Drive, between Lakeside and Kalk Bay on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula. Other good places include Clovelly Corner and Jagger's Walk or Sunny Cove, all in Fish Hoek.
8. Watch African penguins at Boulders Beach, Simon's Town, poddling around in their dinner jackets. Boulders is the only place in the world where you can swim among penguins because they have continued to invade beaches in the area. They generally tolerate people pretty well, but don’t get too close or pester them because, cute as they appear, they can inflict a nasty bite.
9. Visit World of Birds in Hout Bay to see more than 3 000 birds and small animals of 400 species in some 100 walk-through aviaries – anything from vultures and owls to little songbirds. And while you’re in the area, don’t miss a visit to Hout Bay harbour to see the working fishing boats.
10. Get a bird’s eye view of the wonder that is the Fairest Cape by taking a helicopter tour over the peninsula – anything from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the depth of your pockets.
In the next post, some fun foodie things to do in Cape Town.
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9. Visit World of Birds in Hout Bay to see more than 3 000 birds and small animals of 400 species in some 100 walk-through aviaries – anything from vultures and owls to little songbirds. And while you’re in the area, don’t miss a visit to Hout Bay harbour to see the working fishing boats.
10. Get a bird’s eye view of the wonder that is the Fairest Cape by taking a helicopter tour over the peninsula – anything from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the depth of your pockets.
In the next post, some fun foodie things to do in Cape Town.
Like it? Pin this image!
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Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
